ear was nowhere to be seen.

He glanced at the corner by the door. Rifle and pack were both gone. He
looked up at the rafter where his slab of bacon was always hung. It,
too, was gone.

He jumped out of his bunk and ran to the door. Opening it, he looked
out. Not a breath of air stirred. In the east, saffron and scarlet,
broke the Christmas morning, and blue on the white surface of the world
lay the imprints of Sacobie's round snowshoes.

For a long time the trapper stood in the doorway in silence, looking out
at the stillness and beauty.

"Poor Sacobie!" he said, after a while. "Well, he's welcome to the
bacon, even if it is all I had."

He turned to light the fire and prepare breakfast. Something at the foot
of his bunk caught his eye.

He went over and took it up. It was a cured skin--a beautiful specimen
of fox. He turned it over, and on the white hide an uncultured hand had
written, with a charred stick, "Archer."

"Well, bless that old red-skin!" exclaimed the trapper, huskily. "Bless
his puckered eyes! Who'd have thought that I should get a Christmas
present?"

FOOTNOTE:

[Z] This story was first printed in the _Youth's Companion_, Dec. 14,
1905.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page 55, "his" changed to "this" (curl up on this)

Pages 86 and 130, Footnote marker was inserted next to the title of the
story.

Page 97, "must" changed to "much" (so much gladness)

Page 120, "Chicakadee" changed to "Chickadee" ("Hush!" said Mrs.
Chickadee)

Page 127, "thing" changed to "things" (many last things)

Page 153, "seldoms" changed to "seldom" (Joy seldom hurts)

Page 176, "possible" changed to "possibly" (couldn't possibly eat all)

Page 221, "you" changed to "your" (Is he your brother)

Page 288, "susspicious" changed to "suspicious" (jealous and suspicious)

Page 288, "wth" changed to "with" (dim with tears)

Page 319, "she" changed to "the" (sight of the)

Page 332, "wan" changed to "want" (Bote empty. Want)

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Children's Book of Christmas
Stories, by Various

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